Automobile inclosure



arh 8 927 G. E. B lsvHQP AUTOMOBILE INGLOSURE Filed March 2, 1923 nven or Patented Mar. 8, 1927.

regatas GEORGE E. BISHOP, OF CLEVELAND, OHO.

AUTOMOBILE INCLOSRE.

Application filed. March 2, 1923. Serial No. 622,337.

My invention relates to automobile inclosures and particularly to that section of such devices kwhich is mounted upon the automobile door and forms in effect th-e upper fabric section of the automobile door. My invention is designed to provide such a curtain which shall ride in and out with the door as the latter is opened and closed; and which will have incorporated with it such mounting m-eans and such an assembly of celluloid transparencies that, when not in service, the curtain may be longitudinally folded, or both longitudinally and vertically folded, `into a package of that size and shape which answers the particular storage facilities of the user. The ability to thus fold the curtain resides partly in the fact that none of the Celluloid transparencies include the longitudinal planes in which adjacent support rod section -ends lie when they are released from supporting duty, and also that the free ends of any longitudinal fabric strengthening members do lie in vertical planes passing between adjacent transparencies, all as will hereinafter fully appear in detail. Other advantages of my improved door curtain will appear later in the following detail description as particularly applied to the accompanying` drawing.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail certain means embodying my invention, such disclosed means, however, constituting but a few of the various embodiments in which the principles of my invention may be used.

lin said annexed drawing:

Figure 1 represents an inside elevation of one of my improved door curtains;

Figure 2 represents a fragmentary elevation of said curtain when certain parts hereinafter fully described are so positioned as to enable the folding of the curtain into the desired package;

Figure 3 represents an elevation of a modied form of supporting frame, also showing a different arrangement of transparencies Figure l is a fragmentary elevation showing modified means for supporting the curtain together with a slightly modified form of longitudinal strengthening means; and

Figure 5 represents a fragmentary plan view of lan automobile body and door and contiguous curtain frame elements, for the purpose of illustrating how the bottom door section of my supporting rod is so mounted as to make necessary only ytwo turns or bends in said rod to form a bottoni offset portion therein. Y w

In the annexed drawing wherein the same ordinals respectively refer to similar parts in the several views, I indicate curtain fabric by the ordinal 1 with which are incorporated Celluloid transparencies 2 of different sizes and shapes and disposed in different positions a-s fully described and for the purposes hereinafter fully set forth. The fabric l is formed with such hems, stitching, etc., as is desirable and particularly with a vertical pocket 3 disposed along the closing edge of the door curtain which overlaps the adjacent side inclosure sections 29, Figure 5. This pocket 3 is for the reception of a supporting member which will be hereinafter fully described. The curtain is adapted to be mounted upon the automobile door 4f, Figure 5, by means of a rod which is sub-divided into sections, particularly 4two sections 5 and 6, as herein shown and described, the lower section 6 being received by the rectangular socket 25 formed in the door ll, by means of an offset portion 7 having a lower supporting end 'Z' of rectangular cross-section. The supporting rod 5-6 is formed with this odset 7 because the pocket 3 which receives the rod 5-'6 isV disposed along the closinglapping -edge of the door curtain and the rod 5-6 is mounted upon the door. Means must be provided for securing together the rod sections 5 and 6 to render them relatively rigid transversely of their length when the inclosure is in use and these means take several forms according to my invention, all of the forms being such that these securing` means are removable or temporarily put out of commission, whereby the rod sections 5 and 5 can be separated and each'folded up with the particular part of the fabric to which it belongs. This folding, of courseT if@ different sizes and shapes of packages are desired, requires considerable latitude to be given to the location, size and shapes of the transparencies 2 and l have illustrated this latitude in several ways in the accompanying drawing. As to the diderent forms of the securing means, I direct attention to one form shown in Figures l, 2 and 3, and a second form shown in Figure el.. In Figures 1, 2 and 3, a sleeve 8 is formed with a shoulder 9 intermediate its ends, this sleeve 8 in its upper portion being adapted to receive rod section 5 of -lg-inch diameter, for instance, and in its lower portion to receive can be formed.

rod section 6 of 3/S-inch diameter, for instance, the sleeve 8 normally resting by means of its shoulder 9 upon the rod section 6. In Figure el; I have illustrated the rod sections 5 and 6 as of the same diameter, the abutting ends of the saine being surrounded by a plain sleeve 10 which normally rests upon and is supported b y means of a stop 12 secured to the rod section (i.

The sleeves 8 and 10 are formed with thin, flat ,actuating members 13 which extend through and from a vertical slit 11i formed in the pocket 3, this slit 11i being long enough to allow the sleeve to be lifted oli' from the vrod section 6, as illustrated in the case of rangement shown in Figure 1, or into a narrow, long body package, as illustrated by the arrangement shown in Figure 3, the abutting ends'otu the sections 5 and 6 being` spacer enough not to interfere with the longitudinal folding of the curtain, because a lower slit 14C also is formed in the pocket 3 so that, when the curtain is lifted from the automobile door il, the section 6 can be dropped a limited amount, as -plainly shown in Figure 2. In this connection, I wish particularly to point out that the arrangements shown provide means whereby each section of the support-ing rod will stay with its cooperating fabric section and not become disengag'ed therefrom or confused with `rod sections belonging to other fabric sections.

I have shown in several of the Vfigures upper strengthening members for the fabric 1, the samebeing preferably incorporated within the fabric. In Figure 1 this member takes the form of a divided member 1 5-16,

t-he same being riveted to the fabric 1, this divided arrangement allowing, of course, for a. vertical folding of the curtain, as well as the longitudinal folding hereinbefore dcscribed whereby a small door pocket package The several members of the divided longitudinal strengthening members are separated in the plane of the vertical space between transparencies contained in the door section of the inclosure, so that it is thisdoor section which can be vertically folded.V In Figure 3 I vhave illustrated an upper strengthening member 17, the same being cylindrical and continuous with the supporting section 5. Furthermore, I have illustrated said member' 17 as integral with two supporting sections, 5, one at either end, the whole arrangement showing a two-socket support for the door curtain. In Figure t I have shown a fiat strengthening rod 1S riveted, welded or otherwise suitably secured to the rod section 5.

I show my improved door curtain formed with valance elements 19 and 2O which are adapted to be buttoned to the autotmobile canopy and also fastened to one lateral edge ofthe door section proper of the curtain, these valance elements being shown, described and claimed particularly in my U. S. Patent No. 1,2%,691 By means of fasteners 21 the curtain is buttoned to the automobile body et and by means of fasteners l22 it is buttoned to the door l. In the case of the doube-socket support shownin `Figure 3,'the left-hand fastener element- 21 is also secured to the automobile door Ll. The strengthening members and button elements mentioned? serve to hold the inclosure longitudinally taut.

I have provided an arrangement of the socket 25 whereby the supporting rodean be formed with the'foiiset 7 and yetitis neces- .from the ioint 73 Figure 4 vverticall `above the socket 25,.to the point'T A1-intheline ofthe rod sections and 6, or inother words, lies in the plane passing through .the axes offthc socket and the :main bodyof the rod. Thus, I have only two ibends in the supporting member, viz, at the sections 73. and l7 4. YIt will be plainly noted in Figure 5 thatlthe lower part of the socket 25 which receives zthe rectangular section v7 Aof the supporting arod isset at the proper `angle 4to take said Vrod section 7 so as to require only twolbendsin the supporting member, the-resultvbeingt-hat by so sett-ing the socket of rectangular-@ross sect-ion in the door e, the rods with the offset 7 will serve both as rights and lefts without the necessity of furnishing two designs Iof rods for this purpose. Then these sockets with a rectangular section for preventing turning of the supporting rod are set inl'the door so as to dispose-the walls ofthe same parallel and at right angles, respectively, to the lines of the body t, it is necessary 'to provide both right and left hand designsof rods.

What I claim is:

1. An automobile inclosure comprising, suitable curtain fabric provided with spaced transparencies; a multiple-sectionrod adapted removably to supportthe fabric upon 'the automobile body; means forholding the fabric longitudinally taut; Ya vertical pocket formed in the fabric and within whichthe supporting rod is disposed; 'at least `one Vof said rod sections being longitudinally adjustable in said pocket in the inoperative position of the supporting rod, and a sleeve surrounding 'the adjacent rod section ends and normally holding the rod sections relatively rigid transversely o-f their length, one of the abutting rod sections being formed with means adapted to hold the sleeve in its operative position, said fabric being formed with a vertical slit, and said sleeve being formed with a fingerpiece extending through said slit, whereby the sleeve may be vertically, manually adjusted to release `the abutting rod section ends one from` the other, none of said transparencies including the longitudinal planes in which. the adjacent rod sect-ion ends lie when they are released, whereby the inclosure may be folded along longitudinal lines without removing the respective rod sections from the fabric.

2. An automobile inclosure comprising, suitable curtain fabric provided with spaced transparencies; a two-section rod adapted removably to support the fabric upon the automobile body; transversely spaced longitudinal strengthening members for holding the door-section of the fabric longitudinally taut; a vertical pocket formed in the fabric and within which the supporting rod is dis'- posed, at least one of said rod sections being longitudinally adjustable in said pocket in the inoperative position of the supporting rod, and a sleeve closely surrounding the adjacent rod section ends and normally holding the rod sections relatively rigid transversely of their length, the upper of said rod sections being of smaller diameter at its abut-ting end than the diameter of the abutting end of the lower rod section, whereby the latter is formed with a shoulder retaining said sleeve in its operative position, said fabric pocket being formed with a vertical slit, and said sleeve being formed with a finger-piece extending through said slit, whereby the sleeve may be vertically manually adjusted to release the abutting rod section ends one from the other, none of said transparencies including the longitudinal planes in which the adjacent ends of the rod sections lie when they are released, and abutting ends of said strengthening members lying in vertical planes passing between adjacent transparencies, whereby the inclosure may be folded into a storage package along both longitudinal and vertical lines.

3. An automobile inclosure comprising, suitable curtain fabric provided with spaced transparencies; a two-section rod adapted removably to support the fabric upon the automobile door, the lower supporting section of said rod being formed with a lateral door section offset; means for holding the fabric longitudinally taut, including a longitudinal strengthening member; a vertical pocket formed in the fabric and within which the vertical sections of the supporting rod are disposed; and a sleeve surrounding the adjacent rod section ends and normally holding the rod sections relatively rigid transversely of their length, one of the abutting rod sections being formed with means adapted to hold the sleeve in its operative Y position, said fabric pocket being formed with aI pair of vertical slits, one of said slits being contiguous to said sleeve, the latter being formed with a projecting finger-piece extending through said slit, whereby the sleeve may be vertically manually adjusted to release the abutting rod section ends one from the other, the second pocket slit being contiguous to said door section offset of the rod, said offset projecting through and Vbeing vertically movable in said slit, whereby the abutting rod section ends may be spaced to allow for fabric folding, when the inclosure is removed from the door, none of said transparencies including the longitudinal planes in which the adjacent rod section ends lie when they are released, whereby the inclosure may be folded along longitudinal lines withou-t removing the respective rod sections from the fabric.

Signed by me this 24th day of January, 1923.

GEORGE E. BISHOP. 

